Ok, this is the last chapter. Sorry if you don't like it, thanks for sticking with it anyway. If you did like it, please review!

Chapter 3: Reunion

I shouldn't have expected the nightmares to go away, even with time. The wonderful dream I had been living in – where Edward came back – melted into yet another startling nightmare.

I was in the forest, yet again, searching for someone. It was pitch black but that didn't deter me as I groped the darkness in a literally blind panic. I heard someone behind me, and I whipped around.

Victoria was standing a few feet across from me, her blood red eyes boring into me with such hatred. Her flame red hair suddenly changed, morphing into a shoulder-length black as her beautiful face changed into Jacob's familiar smile. Jake before he became a werewolf.

He smiled just like he used to, the real one I loved to see him wear. In a familiar gesture, he reached back to pull his hair back into his usual pony tail at the nape of his neck. As his big hands smoothed over his hair, it changed.

Now it was Edward who was standing in front of me. He was smiling angelically, gesturing for me to come to him. I tried my very best; I struggled against the tight iron bindings wrapped around my body, but it was no use.

He started to fade, growing more distant and distorted. I yelled for him to come back, to stay, but he couldn't hear me. I screamed louder, trying to get through to him, struggling savagely at the iron shackles around my wrists and arms.

"Bella!" I woke with a start as my name echoed through my head. It was completely dark, just like my dream, but I could tell that this time it was real.

The iron bindings around my wrists were Edward's cold hands, fingers clasped firmly around them.

I was sweating and my face was wet with tears. I must have been screaming in my sleep. And now came the fresh torrent of tears as I realized the Cullens hadn't een a dream.

I didn't know how long I had been sleeping, but it wasn't nearly long enough. I slumped uselessly against Edward's chest, sobbing pathetically.

His arms wrapped around me and rubbed soothing circles as I ruined his shirt. After a minute, he gently lowered me back to the mattress and started to shift away. He thought I didn't want him there. A part in the back of my brain registered that we were in the guest room and it was still light out, but the shades were closed.

I knew it was pathetic, but I grabbed his sleeve and frowned. He turned back, his eyes pained as he saw my tears.

I silently shook my head and tugged his sleeve, communicating that I wanted him to stay. As much as I didn't want to forgive him, I wasn't strong enough to let him go after such a terrifying dream.

He obliged, shifting back to lie beside me. I closed my eyes and curled against his side like I used to, wrapping an arm around his chest and laying my head on his shoulder.

I was almost immediately asleep again. I was just barely coherent enough to mumble 'Thanks' before seeping into the deep depths of sleep, which were thankfully empty of dreams. I barely felt his arm wrap around my waist comfortingly.

--

"Bella," called Alice's soft voice from the fog. "Bella, you need to wake up."

I groaned and buried my head farther into my hard pillow. I didn't want to; I was still exhausted from my sleepless night.

"Bella," said Alice again, her bell voice growing more impatient and a small finger poking me in the ribs. "Charlie will be home soon. You still haven't asked him if I can stay over."

I sighed and opened one of my eyes to glare at the annoying little pixie. She smiled at me angelically and tugged at my arm. "Come on, Bella. You still need to change."

I frowned and closed my eyes again exerting as much force as I could muster to sit up. Charlie would need dinner. I knew he would immediately accept Alice back; he was eternally in her dept for saving him from having to help me shower when I was injured.

I stretched and turned back to Edward. He was there looking at me, concerned. I sighed and turned back to my best friend. "Alright, alright. I'm up." I pulled the covers away and shivered as a cold wind blew in.

"You need a shower. Your clothes are on the counter and there's a brush and stuff in the top drawer." With that I was marched into the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later, I came out in the jeans and long sleeved shirt Alice had left. I felt considerably more awake after the steaming water.

I walked down the stairs, wondering where everyone was. I gasped as Alice appeared out of nowhere, holding my backpack. I narrowed my eyes at her and took it, inspecting the damage the rain had done. It was still damp, and it was developing a charming smell.

"I'm all packed. We're going in my new car." I didn't have time to comment on her 'new' car before I was dragged towards the garage. I decided to let it slide.

I had to admit, once I saw the thing, it was really nice. Alice saved me the trouble of asking where she got it. "Edward gave it to me! Isn't it beautiful?" she ran her hand lovingly over the bright yellow hood. I rolled my eyes ad smiled, moving to put my stuff in the back trunk.

"Speaking of Edward, where is he?" I asked absently, feigning nonchalance. Alice saw through me though.

"He wanted to check out the surrounding area and see if Victoria had gotten past the werewolves." I nodded, sighing as her sentence brought back reality. Then I frowned, looking out into the fading light.

"How long was I out?" Alice grinned.

"It's around six. So, about two hours." I nodded, getting in the passenger seat as Alice popped into the driver's. Alice chattered on about shopping as we drove, not hampered in the least by my groans as she mentioned several brands I hadn't even heard of, let alone pronounce their names.

Soon we were at Charlie's, interrupting a spew of French designers Alice was positive I would love. I silently thanked God.

I walked in and threw my backpack onto a chair, heading directly for the kitchen. Alice went to sit in the living room, plopping down on the couch and turning on the television.

I had just finished frying up a couple hamburgers when I heard Charlie's cruiser pull up. I was just a bit nervous about his reaction to Alice – and worse, my bike – but when I got to the door, I forgot completely about them.

Charlie looked awful, like he hadn't slept in months. His hair was all messed up and his eyes were red from crying. I ran up to him, slipping my arm around his waist and trying to help him to the door. He looked like he would fall at any second.

He only seemed to notice me when I spoke to him, asking what was wrong. He didn't answer until I had him inside on the couch. Alice was probably hiding somewhere, anticipating it.

"Harry Clearwater is dead." The words sent a shock and a gasp through me. Harry. Dad's best friend besides Billy, was dead. Now I understood why Charlie looked so bad. He continued, "He had a heart attack and died at the hospital."

I sat beside him on the couch, rubbing his back. "I'm so sorry, Dad." He nodded mechanically. I felt Alice's cold hand on my shoulder then, bringing me back. "Um…Dad. I kinda invited Alice to stay over, but it's alright if you don't want her to right now."

He turned back to me and saw Alice standing beside me. "Hey, Charlie," Alice greeted softly. "I'm sorry I have such horrible timing. Are you alright?" He nodded, then tried to smile, but it came out as more of a grimace.

"Nah, it's alright, Alice. You didn't know." He got up, rubbing the back of his head absently. "It's fine with me if you stay over. I'll be in my bedroom." I squeezed his arm as he passed, smiling a little at him.

"Do you want your burger, Dad?" I asked before he hit the top of the stairs.

"Nah, give it to Alice." He said, walking into his room and closing the door. Alice grimaced, making me smile a bit more.

I went into the kitchen and took my burger off the stove. Me and Alice sat in silence, both wrapped up in our thoughts. We both jumped when there was a knock on the door.

I frowned; nothing surprised Alice. She looked just as confused.

I went to open the door, frowning. Jacob was standing on the doorstep, his eyes wide and his nostrils flared. "Wha-" He cut me off, slipping past me into the house.

I scowled and ran after him to the kitchen. I slammed into his broad back, making me land hard on my butt. His whole body was shaking, his fists were clenched him at his side.

I jumped up quickly, maneuvering around him and getting between him and Alice. Both their faces were wrinkled in disgust, sizing up each other. Jake was still shaking violently.

I put my hands on both his arms, trying to force him out of the kitchen, where we might be able to talk without him exploding. I might as well have been trying to move a parked truck, for all the good it did me.

"Jacob, calm down." I ordered, silently hoping Alice would leave. "Alice is here because I invited her. Calm." He looked at me now, confused and angry.

"You invited that bloodsucker here?!" He practically yelled. I winced, hoping Charlie was asleep.

"Yes." I growled. "Be quiet! Charlie is here!" He frowned, his shaking slowing slightly.

Then he was gone. I heard the door slam and a car start and then gun down the street. I groaned, throwing my hands up in defeat. He wouldn't listen to me with Alice here, but I would make him talk to me when he cooled down a bit.

I turned to Alice and smiled weakly at her frown. "Sorry about Jake." I said, sitting down and looking at my half-finished burger. "He's still getting the hang of things."

"Are you absolutely insane, Bella?" Alice asking, her voice deceivingly calm. I rolled my eyes. "People don't go near werewolves when they are about to change. It's just insane, not to mention irresponsible."

I sighed, letting her get it out of her system, then interrupted. "Jake won't hurt me. End of story." I glared at her, letting her know the subject was closed. We went silent for a few minutes, glaring at each other. She wasn't happy, but I knew she'd forgive me. "Want to watch TV?" I asked, picking up my fork and attacking my burger again. She nodded, sighing.

We went to sit on the couch and I curled into her side as we watched.

"Bella," said Alice, hesitating a bit.

"Yes, Alice?" I asked, turning to smile a bit at her.

"Are you ever going to forgive him?" She watched as my smile faded to be replaced by an, undoubtedly, sad expression.

"I will…but not yet." She frowned, but didn't push.

Before long, I was exhausted. My sleeping pattern was going to be shaky for a while.

--

Note: I can't do this part as good as Stephanie, so I'm going to use a couple pages of New Moon.

Part from New Moon

I woke early, from a deep and dreamless sleep, feeling well-rested, but stiff. I was on the couch tucked under the blankets I had laid out for Alice, but I could hear her, and I could hear her and Charlie talking in the kitchen. It sounded like Charlie was fixing her breakfast.

"How bad was it, Charlie?" Alice asked softly, and at first I thought they were talking about the Clearwaters.

Charlie sighed. "Real bad."

"Tell me about it. I want to know exactly what happened when we left."

There was a pause while a cupboard door was closed and a dial on the stove was clicked off. I waited, cringing.

"I've never felt so helpless," Charlie began slowly. "I didn't know what to do. That first week – I thought I was going to have to hospitalize her. She wouldn't eat or drink, she wouldn't move. Dr. Gerandy was throwing around words like 'catatonic', but I didn't let him up to see her. I was afraid it might scare her."

"She snapped out of it though?"

"I had Renée come to take her to Florida. I just didn't want to be the one…if she had to go to the hospital or something. I hoped being with her mother would help. But when we started to pack her clothes, she woke up with a vengeance. I've never seen Bella throw a fit like that. She was never one for the tantrums, but, boy, did she fly into a fury. She threw her clothes everywhere and screamed that we couldn't make her leave – and then she finally started crying. I thought that would be the turning point. I didn't argue when she insisted on staying here…and she did seem to get better at first…"

Charlie trailed off. It was hard listening to this, knowing how much pain I had caused him.

"But?" Alice prompted.

"She went back to school and work, she ate and slept and did her homework. She answered when someone asked her a direct question. But she was…empty. Her eyes were blank. There were lots of little things – she wouldn't listen to music anymore; I found a bunch of CDs broken in the trash. She didn't read; she wouldn't be in the same room when the TV was on, not that she watched it so much before. I finally figured it out – she was avoiding anything that might remind her of…him.

"We could hardly talk; I was so worried about saying something that would upset her – the littlest things would make her flinch – and she never volunteered anything. She would just answer if I asked her anthing.

"She was alone all the time. She didn't call her friends back, and after a while, they stopped calling.

"It was night of the living dead around here. I still hear her screaming in her sleep…"

I could almost see him shuddering. I shuddered too, remembering. And then I sighed. I hadn't fooled him at all, not for one second.

"I'm so sorry, Charlie," said Alice, voice glum.

"It's not your fault." The way he said it made it perfectly clear he was holding someone responsible. "You were always a good friend to her."

"She seems better now, though."

"Yeah. Ever since she started hanging out with Jacob Black, I've noticed a real improvement. She has some color in her cheeks when she comes home, some light in her eyes. She's happier." He paused, and his voice was different when he spoke again. "He's a year or so younger than her, and I know she used to think of him as a friend, but I think maybe it's something more now, or headed that direction, anyway." Charlie said this in a tone that was almost belligerent. It was a warning, not for Alice, but for her to pass along. "Jake's old for his years," he continued, still sounding defensive. "He's taken care of his father physically the way Bella took care of her mother emotionally. It matured him. He's a good-looking kid, too – takes after his mom's side. He's good for Bella, you know," Charlie insisted.

"Then it's good she has him," Alice agreed

End New Moon reference

I sighed and decided that I might as well get up. I made a big racket moving on the couch and yawned loudly, calling "Alice?"

Alice appeared at my side, smiling. "Hi, Bella. Charlie's making breakfast." In an undertone she added, "You might want to help him."

I grinned. Charlie was many things – a chef wasn't one of them. I honestly wondered how he survived before I came here. I got up and walked into the kitchen, smiling wider when I saw that Charlie was trying to crack an egg without dropping shell fragments, and utterly failing.

"Here, Dad," I offered, taking the egg from his hand and cracking it neatly through the middle, using the half shells to dig the tiny pieces of shell he had already dropped. He frowned and muttered something about how he was useless with food, then walked over to the table to read the paper.

After a breakfast of eggs and bacon, he put on his shoes. I frowned. "You aren't going to work, are you?" I remembered how he had looked when he came in, and it worried me.

He turned to me. "No, Bells. I'm going to help Sue with the funeral arrangements."

"Oh," I muttered, nodding a bit, wondering what I was supposed to say. Certainly not 'Have fun'.

Charlie seemed to understand and nodded a bit, smiling just a little around the corners, and turned and walked out the door. I checked the time, then ran to get ready for school. I would be late.

Alice scowled at my outfit choice, but admitted I didn't have time to change and that I probably didn't have anything better. We rode to school in Alice's yellow car, which she identified as a Porsche. I rolled my eyes but said nothing.

We arrived just a bit late, but I saw Edward waiting. I sighed and got out of the car, smiling a bit. "Hi, Edward." I said, nodding to him a bit and running towards my class as the bell rang.

I got into the classroom just barely on time and slid into my seat. Everyone was still laughing and joking about different things, making it very hard for the teacher to bring order. Just before she managed to get half the class to sit down, Edward came in and silently took his seat beside me.

I smiled a bit, welcoming him to class. He smiled back, making my heart jump just like it used to. He smiled a bit wider as he heard my reaction. I looked away, focusing on the teacher.

About half way through the class, a note appeared beside my hand. I looked at Edward questioningly, but he just nodded to the letter. I sighed and slipped it under the desk to read where the teacher wouldn't catch me.

You look much better. Sleep well?

I smiled a bit, knowing what he was referring to.

Yes.

He nodded, accepting my answer, smirking my favorite half-smile. I turned back to the teacher and tried to focus on what she was saying, but I felt Edward's eyes on my back as he leaned back in his chair. I sighed. Today would be just as distracting as yesterday.

--

Lunch came just as slowly as yesterday and just like yesterday, Alice chose to sit and talk with me. I grinned as Jasper joined us.

"Hey, Jasper." I said, nodding as he sat next to Alice.

"Bella," He said, smiling a bit as well. I could never be mad with Jasper. He wouldn't allow me.

Charlie was still broken over Harry, but he seemed to snap out of it enough to give me lectures on highway safety and the horrors of motorbikes. He had heard.

--

And so this became our daily ritual. I would come to school, be stared at by Edward, join Alice and Jasper for lunch, and then we would go to their house to hang out.

I didn't speak much to Edward and he seemed to accept that I would talk to him when I was ready. It didn't help that we couldn't keep our eyes off each other for too long.

The hole in my chest was still there, but didn't hurt. It just wasn't filled. Just seeing Edward had cured that ache, but that didn't mean I didn't miss him.

It was Thursday when I decided I could trust him not to run away again, but I decided that I wouldn't get quite as…attached as before. So when I came to the Volvo to go to the Cullens, I was a bit surprised that Alice and Jasper weren't there.

"Where's Alice and Jasper?" I asked Edward, sliding into the front seat and looking into the empty back seat.

"They left early. Alice told me some excuse about hunting with Carlisle and the rest of the family, but wouldn't allow me to come." He raised an eyebrow at me.

I sighed. She must have seen my decision and wanted to give us as much privacy as possible. "Alright. I guess I expected that." His eyebrows shot up now. "I wanted to talk to you, and I'm guessing she knew I wanted to do it private." He nodded and started the engine, heading to his house.

We remained silent for the whole trip. I didn't feel the need to break it until we pulled into the garage. "Can we talk in the guest bedroom? I wanted to brush my hair." In truth, I wanted to do anything to keep myself from throwing a tantrum, which it seems that I was very prone to when I was alone with him.

He nodded, following me inside and into the bedroom. I threw my new backpack onto the bed and walked into the bathroom, grabbing my brush from the counter and returning.

He was waiting, stretched out on the bed, his feet making it to the edge with ease. I frowned, but sat down n the edge. I started to pull the brush through my hair, wondering how to begin.

Suddenly his ice cold hand was on mine, stopping my brush in midair. "Unless you planning to become bald, I would recommend being gentler." I blushed, realizing that in my aggravation I had been rather violent with my hair brush.

I sighed and set the brush down on the bed stand, instead laying back on the bed and knitting my fingers together behind my head to make a pillow. He watched me, still sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I wanted to tell you that I forgive you." I said, closing my eyes.

"It doesn't seem like you have." His voice was so sad it made my eyes pop open in alarm. "You avoid talking to me, you don't even look at me, your answers are never enough…" He trailed off, not taking his eyes off my face.

I sat up and frowned at him. So that's how he had taken it. "I only did that because…I guess because I was scared." I looked down at the comforter, picking at the stitching. "I'm afraid you'll leave if I do something wrong again." I angrily brushed at the tear that had escaped. Why, oh why, did they have to show up now?

"Bella," his voice was soft, but still angry. "You honestly believe I left because of a mistake? Bella, I only left to protect you. Not that is did much good." He said bitterly. "I left to give you a chance to have human life – one where you could grow old, have children, be happy." I laid back, closing my eyes and trying to stop the torrent of tears.

"It didn't work." I said sorrowfully. "I've never wanted that life – not even for a minute – since I met you. You're the only thing I've ever wanted Edward." I felt him shift to lay beside me, his sweat breath blowing over my face.

(NEW MOON EDIT) "Bella," he started, placing a hand on my waist. I opened my eyes to watch his face. "For the last few days, the only times you touched me, you were so hesitant, so careful, yet still the same. I need to know why." His face was just inches away, his eyes burning into mine. "Is it because I'm too late? Because I've hurt you too much? Because you have moved on, like I meant you to? That would be…quite fair. I won't contest your decision. So don't try to spare my feelings, please – just tell me now whether or not you can still love me, after everything I've done to you. Can you?" He whispered, his breath filling my head.

"What kind of idiotic question is that?"

"Just answer it. Please."

I stared at him darkly for a minute. "The way I feel about you never change. Of course I love you – and there's nothing you can do about it!"

"That's all I needed to hear."

Then his lips were on mine, and I couldn't fight him. Not because I was too weak, but because I didn't want to. His lips were just as hard as I remembered, moving softly against mine. I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck, melting against him.

I was starting to get dizzy, when he pulled back and leaned our foreheads together. I sighed, content to be in his arms.

Tah dah! Da-da-da-da-da-dat's all folks! I hope you enjoyed it!